IW-S500: How do you keep yours cool?

[PrelateBishop]

Just placed an order for the IW-S500 with a 300 watt power supply. I've noticed from the pictures on In-Win's site that there is a spot on the back of the case for an additional fan. Do any of you owners out there have a recommendation for which case fan to install?

Considerations:
- cooling ability (cfm)
- noise
- orientation of the fan (blowing in or out)

I would be interested in hearing about any customizations that people have done to this case as well (e.g. blowhole on top, intake in front).

Lastly, I am using this case to build a 1GHz T-Bird system. I called In-Win and specifically asked if the power supply is compliant with the AMD CPU and they said it's just fine. Anyone else like to comment on this?IW-S500Sneak a peek at the back of the case

 

[Viperoni]

Better Picture here

Put a pair of Panaflo 80mm's L1A's (21db, 24cfm), and you'll have a silent case with good venilation.
Cut out the grills and mount the fans directly to the metal (greater airflow + much less turbulence; turbulence = noise)
If you want to, you could throw in a slot fan (mounts under video card) that sucks air out the back, wire it to 7v so it's nearly silent as well.

 

[Tonec]

The S500 should come with a Powerman 300watt ps. It uses a chrome grill and stock fan is pretty decent, quieter than average but its ball bearings create a noticeable whine.
The front fan is mounted in an internal plastic casing not the actual metal case so there is minimal noise from air flow. Mount it blowing in.
The rear fan (blowing out)will be the source of most of your airflow noise. Its not your typical metal cut out so removing itis a bit of a challenge and you'll risk disturbing the two screw mounting system. Better off leaving this one unless you think you can be very precise with a hole saw. A dremel will not do a very a clean job in this situation.
It has good cooling so you don't need any additional blowholes.
Buy three 80mm Panaflo L1s and use them in the front, rear, and ps(if you want to replace this fan) Addas push more air but suffer from the ball bearing whine. Panaflos are sleeve bearing but they are reliable, their quieter operation is worth the shorter lifespan compared to ball bearing. Its only a 7 dollar fan so replacing them is not too much of a burden.

The S500 in my opinion has below average noise level overall. Additional mods that work are: vibration dampening the back of the motherboard plate, 1/2" accoustic foam will fit everywhere except the right side(when facing the case). Helps a little bit but can't recommend it for this case because it has tight fitting side panels. Just make sure you get a quiet cpu fan and the noise will be tolerable.

 

[PrelateBishop]

So you both say Panaflo fans are the way to go. Now the question begs to be asked, where would one buy these fans? With back-to-back recommendations, I definitely want to purchase them.

Thank you for the suggestions and your help.

 

[Mikewarrior2]

TeamAwe for panaflo's.

Panaflo's are the choice for quiet, fairly inexpensive, and easily purchasable fans.


Mike

 

[PrelateBishop]

Thank you for the link. Now the only other question I have is, do I need he 3 or 4-pin connector?

 

[Viperoni]

I would recommend the 4 pin.
The 3 pin ones plug into your mobo and take up a spot that an RPM sensing fan could use.

 

[PrelateBishop]

Just purchased (2) P80L1A-4Pin fans from the TeamAwe online store for $7.00 per fan.

Woohoo!

 

[jsbush]

My S500 came with a 250watt powerman power supply, one of my A500 came with a 235watt and my other A500 came with a 250watt.


What I do to cool mine, well I don't I've got a cpu fan and a power supply fan.

A 600 celeron that's not overclocked doesn't creat much heat

 

[mechBgon]

I put a 120mm Panaflo L1A as a side-panel blowhole, positioned so that it is centered at the level of the AGP slot. Half the air feeds the CPU heatsinks (Alpha6035's, so they draw air in at their edges), and the other half ventilates the video card and the other upper cards. It is not nearly as quiet as if you go with three 80mm L1A's, however... that would be a very pleasant system.

To reduce the resistance to airflow, I cut away the metal grillework where the fans are, and removed the wire grille on the power-supply fan. I also cut the bottom edge of the plastic bezel off completely. It looks stock from the front but with the bottom edge gone, it has very free airflow. My S500 also has some rubber feet that lift it an inch off the floor, I got those for less than a dollar at an electronics-supply place.

I also tried to get the cables folded flat against the walls where possible to help the airflow. Overall, this case runs really cool, considering it has a dual-Celeron system in it.